Welcome to DBSTalk

Welcome to DBSTalk. Our community covers all aspects of video delivery solutions including: Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), Cable Television, and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). We also have forums to discuss popular television programs, home theater equipment, and internet streaming service providers. Members of our community include experts who can help you solve technical problems, industry professionals, company representatives, and novices who are here to learn.

Like most online communities you must register to view or post in our community. Sign-up is a free and simple process that requires minimal information. Be a part of our community by signing in or creating an account. The Digital Bit Stream starts here!

I am going out of town in a few days to my moms for the holidays I will be gone for about a week, she doesnt have cable or a Sat just local channels, Can I take my Directv DVR without the sat cable being hooked up to it to watch recorded prgramming or would that not work?

I am pretty sure that it has to be hooked to at least one coax to a dish.
You could get and 18" round dish and a short ready made coax and hook it up when you get there. This would only get SD channels but it would allow you to play your HD recordings, if that is what they are.

You will not be able to access the recordings as DirecTV has it set forth where to get the DVR features on their manufactured dvrs, you have to pay monthly for the DVR service fee. No sat. signal means no service. The box is useless.

I don't remember how many days. Maybe three or four. But I've heard from others that it can vary considerably. Some folks have claimed as much as a week, yet others get cut after just a few hours. Probably has something to do with how often the DVR checks for a "live" satellite feed.

Two weeks ago I had my roof replaced and removed my dish. On my HR34 and HR24 I could watch recorded and OTA programming (via AR21) for only about 12 hours. Then everything went into a searching for sat signal and rebooting loop.

I've also heard that if you are going to Deactivate your DVR you can unplug the Coax before doing the Deactivation and your DVR will Not receive a signal from Directv's Satellite that will keep you viewing your Recordings.

From time to time you will get a Warning Message but you can Exit out of that until the time that Directv finally figures out that you have a Deactivated DVR and then they will render it incapable of having it's recordings viewable.

Two weeks ago I had my roof replaced and removed my dish. On my HR34 and HR24 I could watch recorded and OTA programming (via AR21) for only about 12 hours. Then everything went into a searching for sat signal and rebooting loop.

Makes total sense. It'd be only the earlier models that may give you a fighting chance to stretch out the time.

Makes total sense. It'd be only the earlier models that may give you a fighting chance to stretch out the time.

They probably Now send out a Signal and if the DVR does not respond within so many hours they shut it down via whatever connection they have to the DVR.

Maybe there is Software written that states if a DVR has not been verified via Satellite Signal within the last XXX Hours to then shut it down and not allow viewing of those Recordings until it receives a Valid Verification Signal from the DVR to Directv.

My 2 HR20's haven't had a sat signal in months...& I'm still watching DVR'd shows just fine on them. (actually, now that they haven't had a "bloatware signal" to slow them down, they have never run this fast! )

Makes total sense. It'd be only the earlier models that may give you a fighting chance to stretch out the time.

They probably Now send out a Signal and if the DVR does not respond within so many hours they shut it down via whatever connection they have to the DVR.

Maybe there is Software written that states if a DVR has not been verified via Satellite Signal within the last XXX Hours to then shut it down and not allow viewing of those Recordings until it receives a Valid Verification Signal from the DVR to Directv.

I'll go with choice 2, as in most cases, they have no way of sending out a signal that can be received if you disconnect before de-authorizing a box. I'm sure it has to be the programming in the box that shuts it down after so many hours of no signal. Especially with newer DVRs.